"Chris was a team-first player, a physical presence who never backed down from a challenge," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said. "He earned his place every single day through hard work and dedication; he was the ultimate character player and wore the Senators sweater with as much or more pride than any other player in this team's history."
The 43-year-old forward retired Dec. 14, 2017, after playing all 15 of his NHL seasons with Ottawa. He ranks third in Senators history in games played (1,026) behind Chris Phillips (1,179) and Daniel Alfredsson (1,026). He is first in penalty minutes (2,522) and is one of two players in NHL history with at least 1,000 games and 2,500 penalty minutes to play his entire career with the same team (Ken Daneyko, New Jersey Devils; 1,283 games, 2,516 penalty minutes).
Neil received a standing ovation Tuesday during the Senators' 6-4 home loss to the Vancouver Canucks when it was announced that he is being honored.
"It's overwhelming, to be honest with you," Neil told TSN. "For me, I'm just a genuine guy from Flesherton, Ontario, small town of 700 people. So, for me to see the reception and the warmth from the community and the Ottawa Senators fan base, you know, it truly is remarkable."
Selected by Ottawa in the sixth round (No. 161) of the 1998 NHL Draft, Neil had 250 points (112 goals, 138 assists) during the regular season and 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in 95 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Neil will be the fourth Senators player to have his number retired, joining Frank Finnigan (No. 8), Phillips (No. 4) and Alfredsson (No. 11). In September, he was named vice president of business and community development for the Senators.
"For me to play my whole career with one team, that's unheard of in today's game," Neil said, "and, you know, there's a couple of close calls where I almost went to other teams, but took less money to stay in Ottawa because I was so proud to put that jersey on every single night."
